The future of the 20-room mansion remains in limbo, more than 15 months after an estate sale that allowed the public a rare glimpse inside. The magnificent edifice is closer to being foreclosed on, court records show. But it's unclear who, if anyone, will step up to buy the pride and joy of the town's founder, citrus grower and developer William J. Howey.

Some who live in the town hope someone will rescue the home built in the mid-1920s — which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places — from an uncertain fate.

"It is sad, for sure, anytime you see such a beautiful home become in disrepair," Howey resident Tamara Rogers said. "I think it needs some tender loving care right now."

It appears the home's longtime owner, Marvel Zona, who now lives in a Leesburg nursing home, will inevitably lose the house after years of struggle.

In 2008, a tangled web of real-estate transactions pushed Zona into foreclosure proceedings.

Then her lawyer, Kissimmee elder-care lawyer Linda Vazquez Littlefield, was arrested last year on charges of stealing from an elderly couple who were her clients in an Osceola County case. She will be sentenced Sept. 16.

Meanwhile, the home — which has notable features including a large chessboard built into the floor, a marble-walled foyer and a spiral staircase leading to the second floor — continues to stagnate.

One glimmer of hope: Jeffrey Kores said he is part of a group of New Port Richey investors who remain interested in buying the mansion. He said it would cost at least $500,000 to get the building back up to code, let alone back to its former luxury.

But he thinks it would be worth it.

He envisions a place where couples could marry on an expansive manicured lawn, followed by a reception inside the mansion. The curved walls and massive fireplaces illustrate all the grandeur of old-Florida riches.

"It needs a lot of work, but the bare bones are awesome," Kores said. "It would definitely be booked more than two times a week."